Scotch College

Chaplain's column

Graham Bradbeer

Nec Tamen consumebatur ... so, who's on fire?

Moses turned aside to see a bush on fire but never consumed. What was it he saw?

Some suggest something physical, perhaps a bramble bush ablaze, or a blossoming 'flame tree' or a sunset light creating a flame effect? Or was it some supernatural vision such as prophets had? It hardly matters. According to renowned Old Testament scholar, Walter Bruggemann, when the cry of the needy is heard, the fire of God begins.

The movie, Man on Fire was panned by some critics ('extreme babysitting', NY Times) but Jim Schembri in EG rated it four stars. I saw it, but found the violence difficult.

Denzel Washington is brilliant as John Creasy, the forgiveness seeking assassin, who turns bodyguard to a small girl in Mexico City. When she is kidnapped he becomes an avenging angel. His white hot rage evokes a powerful mix of terror and righteousness. He is an answer to the prayers of the helpless.

At the burning bush, Moses presents not so much as a man on fire, but a man slow to smoulder. He is a reluctant voice for the Almighty. He wanted someone else to do the job of freeing the Israelites; after all, the flip side of this role was the terrifying encounter with the Egyptian oppressor.

In Man on Fire an elderly nun asks bodyguard Creasy 'Do you see the hand of God in what you do?' Destructive work is described by the prophet Isaiah (28:21, 22) as God's 'strange work'. Like us, God is more at home with grace and mercy, but the catalyst for both mercy and judgment is the cry that ignites the fire.

Sarah Rose is a secretary at the law firm of Lander & Rogers. Less than a year ago another 'elderly nun' spoke at a lunch-time meeting at the company. According to The Age, Sister Maeve O'Brien from the Daughters of Charity had been in Ethiopia since the 1960s, working with the poorest of the poor. That evening, when Sarah Rose went home, she told her husband she had to do something. She did. On 9 August in The Age Geoff Strong told how the fire began to burn in Sarah Rose.

The law firm provided a platform, the old nun, ablaze with her knowledge, articulated the cry, and in Sarah Rose the message ignited a flame. What Sarah Rose did, seeking to meet the need of the poor and marginalised, is the work of God. Bruggemann says 'it is the cry that evokes God's care. It is difficult to imagine a more radical theological statement than this; it is voiced grief that mobilizes God to act in saving ways.' If we hear the cry we may also start to smoulder for God and participate in his 'regular work' of grace and mercy.

At School this cry was heard as senior boys listened to Hugh Evans, Young Australian of the Year. Hugh spoke during Mission Week about his Oak Tree Foundation initiative to help AIDS orphans in Africa. A small group felt the fire and began to explore avenues for action to support Oak Tree. Through the programs and opportunities provided by Mr. Sam Black, Director of Social Services, many boys do more than raise some money. As they engage in programs where they encounter real human need they become (more or less) fired up.

To sustain the burning is to align oneself with the serving, saving and liberating God of Christian understanding. It is also a judgment on those who exploit, enslave and destroy. The burning bush reminds us of our call to serve a faithful God who has not abandoned his creation. We are invited to become co-workers with his Christ, the teacher, healer and the saviour.

Graham Bradbeer
Chaplain